Constructing raised beds

This is one of the most difficult sites in which to keep a garden, as a large amount of water might eventually suffocate the plants. This can be ameliorated however by choosing tolerant species and by amending soil to improve drainage and constructing raised beds.

You can also think of using groundcovers to ameliorate this situation as there are a few which tolerate damp soil – like the Carex genus.

You would have a variety of shapes, colors and sizes to choose from – for instance the 3-foot tall palm sedge, with fine, arching foliage, the creeping broadleaved sedge which grows in wide fronds or the bugleweed which spreads quickly but only grows to 4 inches tall and blooms with blue-purple flowers in spring.

Unfortunately not many evergreen trees do well in damp sites, but the Southern Magnolia thrives in moist to wet soils. It has dark, broad leaves and blooms in summer with aromatic white flowers. The white spruce – with pale green needles, Callery pears – with white spring blossoms and dark foliage which turns red, yellow and purple in fall, weeping willows and white willows all grow very well in sunny sites and damp soil.

However if you turn to perennials you will be happy to know that there are some of them which do well in damp locations, actually prefer them. For instance the New England aster, which grows to 3-7-foot-tall and blooms from summer through fall, the blue flag iris, with it’s blue-violet flowers in early summer, and the cardinal flower, which blooms in fall with spikes of bright-red, bird-attracting flowers, all tolerate or thrive in damp sites.

You can even add shrubs to your garden, as several Cornus genus tolerate moist or wet soil, commonly known as dogwood. They produce abundant spring flowers and have colorful autumn foliage. Some worth remembering are the Tatarian and the redtwig, which grow to 9 -10 feet, with bright-red stems, and the evergreen mountain laurel, with dark foliage and pale pink flowers in late spring, which grows to 15 feet tall.

Carex genus, constructing raised beds, damp locations, groundcovers, improve drainage, mountain laurel, New England aster, perennials, shrubs, tolerate damp soil